Coulter Foundation Surprises Westminster College With One Million Dollar Gift

4/25/2013
Giving

At a birthday celebration April 18 in Champ Auditorium on the Westminster College campus in Fulton, MO, in honor of the 100th birthday of the late Wallace H. Coulter, Westminster College received a present of its own from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation-a one million dollar gift.

As a part of their remarks at the event, Sue Van, President and CEO of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, and Wayne Barlin, Vice President and General Counsel of the Foundation, surprised Westminster College President Dr. George B. Forsythe with a check for $500,000 and a commitment for a second gift later for an additional $500,000.

The gifts were given in recognition of the invaluable counsel of Westminster Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Muehlhauser, Class of 1968, to the Coulter Foundation since its inception in 1998 and his continuing service to Westminster during his tenure as Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

"The Coulter Foundation has been extraordinary in its contributions to Westminster College over the years and has played a significant role in the excellent academic environment our students enjoy today," says Chairman Muehlhauser. "These generous gifts will add immeasurably to the success of all the things we can do for our students. I greatly appreciate Sue Van's continued confidence and support of Westminster College."

Van presented the College with a magnificent wall plaque featuring twin medallions, one with the likeness of Wallace H. Coulter and the other a representation of the Coulter Principle, his most famous achievement.

"There are not many times when I am speechless, but I am at this moment…speechless with gratitude," said President Forsythe at the presentation. "Thank you, Sue Van, Wayne Barlin and the entire Coulter Foundation for these generous gifts to Westminster College. We are inspired by Wallace Coulter's life of intellectual curiosity, philanthropy, and commitment to serve and benefit humanity."

"The gifts of The Coulter Foundation to Westminster College over the years have been transformational and have made possible our state-of-the-art Coulter Science Center, academic scholarship support for our students, campus improvements and our unique cadaver lab," says President Forsythe. "It was a thrill for us to host Sue Van and Wayne Barlin from the Coulter Foundation and we are grateful for their continued generosity. We were also pleased to host their guests, Gary and Valerie Durack. Gary, an engineer, worked closely with Wallace Coulter at Coulter Corporation."

Previously, the Coulter Foundation awarded a $30 million grant to Westminster College, the largest in the history of the College. This gift expanded and rebuilt the Wallace H. Coulter Science Center into an 80,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, inspired alumni giving, created scholarships, and helped transform the campus into the beautiful grounds enjoyed today.

At the Coulter celebration ceremony President Forsythe inducted Wallace Coulter as the first member of the Westminster Science Hall of Fame and presented a plaque to the Coulter Foundation visitors identical to the one that will hang in the Coulter Science Center.

Prior to his death, Wallace Coulter established the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation to fund improvements in health care through medical research and engineering. The Foundation received funding in December 1999 and has continued this legacy by funding translational research in biomedical engineering with the goal of accelerating the introduction of new technologies into patient care. Prior to the establishment of its two main programs to support translational research in biomedical engineering, the Foundation began working with colleges, universities and professional associations that Wallace Coulter was associated with during his lifetime.

For more information about Wallace Coulter and the Coulter Foundation, readers can visit http://www.whcf.org/.